Sherburn in Elmet currently has 5 Automated External Defibrillators (AED) available throughout the village. These are currently located at:
- Jacksons Butchers, Low Street (available at all times)
- Eversley Park Centre, Low Street (available at all times)
- Finkle Hill Dental Care, Finkle Hill (business hours only)
- Elmet Dental Care, Low Street (business hours only)
- Sherburn Group Practice, Beech Groove (business hours only)
A defibrillator is a device that gives a high energy electric shock to the heart through the chest wall to someone who is in medical need e.g. a cardiac arrest.
Sherburn Community First Responders have given the following advice on how to use these machines if needed. They state that when in an emergency that requires a defibrillator, ring 999 immediately, the call operator will advise you the location of your nearest AED along with the access code for the cabinet – they will then give you instructions on how to use the AED.
St Johns Ambulance have given this guide to using a Defibrillator
• First, make sure someone has called for an ambulance, and, if an AED isn’t immediately available, give CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) until someone can bring you an AED.
• As soon as you’ve got an AED, switch it on. It will immediately start to give you a series of visual and verbal prompts informing you of what you need to do. Follow these prompts until the ambulance arrives or someone with more experience than you takes over.
• Take the pads out of the sealed pack. Remove or cut through any clothing and wipe away any sweat from the chest
• Remove the backing paper and attach the pads to their chest
• Place the first pad on their upper right side, just below their collarbone as shown on the pad
• Then place the second pad on their left side, just below the armpit. Make sure you position the pad lengthways, with the long side in line with the length of their body
• Once you’ve done this, the AED will start checking the heart rhythm. Make sure that no-one is touching the person. Continue to follow the voice and/or visual prompts that the machine gives you until help arrives.
